2019-04-01 Women's Health

143

4. 5

POUNDS OF

T R A S H

PRODUCED

P E R

PERSON

EACH DAY

IN THE U.S.

C AN

Y OU

R E C Y C L E

IT?

NAIL

POLISH

No. It falls into

the hard-to-

recycle catego-

ry and is best

left to the pros

at take-back

programs.

HAIR SPRAY

Yes. Just make

sure the can is

empty first,

otherwise it’s

considered

household

hazardous

waste, which

requires a sepa-

rate disposal

process.

PUMP

BOTTLES

Partly. Inside

that plastic

pump is a

non-removable

metal spring

that makes

recycling near-

ly impossible.

It ’s best to toss

the pump, but

the rest of the

bottle should

be good to go.

COMPACTS

No. Especially

if it includes a

mirror (the

reflective

coating makes

the glass non-

recyclable) or

a magnetic

closure (mag-

nets are never

recyclable).

BRUSHES

No. Like gloss,

they are made

from multiple

materials, which

are glued to-

gether. Instead,

take good care

of your existing

brushes so you’ll

need to replace

them less often.

LIP GLOSS

No. The tubes are

often too small

for traditional

recycling plants,

plus the applica-

tor can include

upwards of three

different materi-

als, which are

almost impossi-

ble to separate

and sort before

being recycled.

Good news! Products

housed in containers

made from aluminum

(such as Grown

Alchemist Purifying

Body Exfoliant, $37,

grownalchemist.com)

are recyclable every-

where. Once they are

empty, cut open the

tubes to make cleaning

them much easier.

WHAT

ABOUT

METAL

TUBES?

ST

YL

IN

G
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LI

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YN

N
A

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LL

EY

R

ES

O
U
RC

ES

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TY

LI

N
G
A

SS

IS

TA

N
T:

R

IC

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O
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R
O
OK